Kitplanes Magazine SPOT article from EAA AirVenture 2008

In more EAA AirVenture 2008 news from Oshkosh, Kitplanes magazine has done a good and brief writeup of SPOT. Visit Kitplanes for the whole article. 

Here’s an excerpt: 

“Spot, originally developed for backpackers and back country skiers, is a natural in the airplane. “The first thing I did with it was throw it in my Cherokee 140,” says Wilkenson. “It worked. When I pressed the OK button it sent a message, via text and email, to let people on my list know the lat/long of my departure and that I was OK. There’s also a link to a private Google Maps page where they can track me. Hold that button down again, watch for flashing lights, and I know it has gone to tracking mode,” he says. “Then it issues updates every 10 minutes or so, with my lat/long. When I reach my destination, I hit the OK button once more and it sends a message so people know I’ve landed safely. But that’s just the tracking mode. What makes this little device great are the HELP and 911 buttons. Push HELP and you’ll send out a non-emergency, ‘you need to come get me’ notice. It’s very popular with glider pilots who might land out. Push 911 and we will activate search-and-rescue in your vicinity immediately,” he says. ”

New search for Steve Fossett GPS tracked online with SPOT messenger

 

On September 3, 2007, Steve Fossett, the multi-millionaire record-breaking aviator, went missing when his single engine plane disappeared in Nevada. A month later, the official search was called off. On Monday, July 14, 2008, a team led by Dr. Simon Donato set off to tackle the Sierra Nevada Mountains to find the wreckage and put closure to this mystery. 

http://adventurescience.ca/follow-the-team.html Track Simon and his team as they use SPOT technology for safety messaging and location updates. 

Dr. Donato will lead his small crew in a high intensity 8-day long ground search for Steve Fossett’s crash site. They will test Donato’s hypothesis that the wreckage is in their search area. They will be pushing their physical and mental limits as they cover hundred’s of kilometers during the search and aim to set a new standard in search and rescue. The team possesses the mental toughness and physical fitness to conduct large-scale ground searches quickly, which is what sets this team apart from ordinary folks. They will pack lightly, move quickly, and suffer extremes. They will explore the unexplored.

Although the team will use all-terrain vehicles when possible, the majority of the search will be conducted on foot in order to allow the team to explore difficult areas where vehicles and previous searchers were unable to reach. Conducting the search this way will allow them to reach the areas shrouded by tree cover, shaded by towering cliffs and canyons that prevented satellites and aircraft from successfully surveying.

SPOT at EAA Airventure

SPOT is a major sponsor of the EAA Airventure show in Oshkosh, Wisconson for 2008, and we will be on site with incredible offers for EAA members. Come by the booth and check out how SPOT can help out pilots. 

SPOT is the device the AOPA called “an a-ha! moment for general aviation.” SPOT lets you live your life and tell others exactly where you are and how you’re doing – in real time. Because SPOT uses satellites, it works in places cell phones never will. 

Now you can let your spouse know you’re OK, ask for help from friends and family, or track your flightpath and show it to others back at home in real time, all while you’re in the air. In trouble? Hold the 9-1-1 button to alert emergency responders around the world for critical assistance. Of course, SPOT is just as useful when you land. 

Find out more at http://www.findmespot.com